Perfection
by OhioSummer
Summary: If you had the chance to choose how your baby would look, would you do it? That is the dilemma that Nick and Miley face, and it is putting a huge strain on their fresh marriage. Rated T for mild adult themes.


**I hope this opens up your eyes a little to the near future. Enjoy and review.**

"Are you ready?" Nick Gray asked his wife as he swiftly pulled his key out of the ignition of his bright red Mercedes.

For the most part, it was an average day. The scene of Los Angeles looked like something straight out of a storybook. The sun had come up just a little over an hour before the couple had left home, painting the earth beneath it with bright summery colors. State of the art vehicles sped up and down the highways with ease while birds chirped and cawed as they awoke.

Just like the image of the city, Miley and Nick Gray gave the impression of a picture perfectness as well. The newlyweds were Hollywood's favorite item. The two were attractive, talented, and many believed they were meant to be together. Money, fame, and power... they had it all. Or at least it seemed like it.

Even though Nick and Miley had much in common, there was one thing that they _didn't_ agree on, and it was putting a huge strain on their brand new marriage. It was the subject of children- or more like the DNA of their children.

As they both came from large families, the pair undoubtedly agreed that they wanted to start one of their own. Nick had three brothers. Miley had a variety of male and female siblings. That wasn't the problem. The issue was that technology had excelled drastically in the past decade and a half. It was now possible to genetically engineer a child- a human being. More than one clinic in L.A. alone offered an assortment of traits available to choose from, and the list was growing every year. The idea of creating a perfect child was tempting, but more to some people than others.

Miley was thrilled by the concept of having a say in her child's appearance. Nick, a "die hard Christian," wasn't too sure, but went with it the idea anyway. Miley seemed really serious about the whole thing, and he didn't want to have such a dour debate so early in their official relationship. So, he let Miley schedule a consultation with one of the best BioGeneticists in the country, Dr Roger Yang. What could it hurt? It wasn't like he had made any major commitments yet.

"Of course I'm ready, silly." Miley grinned, pinching her spouse's cheeks with one hand and unbuckling her seatbelt with the other.

Nick smiled back. He loved Miley. He really did, but she was just so damn _pushy_. Once she started to get her way, she rarely turned back. That could be an issue especially with this baby situation.

The duo stepped out of the car and walked hand in hand to the entrance of the clinic. A flashy sign caught Nick's eye as they pushed through the doors. _"Now offering height selection!" _it read in bold print. Nick frowned. The offer was unsettling to him. What had the world come to where human traits were advertised like a pair of shoes?

The inside of the center was set up like any other doctors office. A small waiting room was visible upon entering; other couples were scattered about the lobby reading brochures and parenting magazines. There were softly painted walls and plain, carpeted floors. The only things slightly out of the ordinary were the pictures of babies with glowing blue eyes and smiling faces that lined the walls.

Miley caught Nick staring at them. "Do you think those are babies they designed here?" she whispered. "They're so cute."

"I'm not sure," Nick admitted. The babies in the photos looked so fake, so grossly perfect. He hoped that their's wouldn't look like that, that is, if they decided to go through with this designing business.

Nick tore his gaze from the snapshot as Miley tugged him towards the sign in desk where a smiling receptionist took their name.

"We'll need you to fill out these forms, Mr. and Mrs. Gray," the blonde woman requested, sliding a thin stack of papers across the desk. Miley quickly retrieved them.

Nick's eyes widened. "We're only here for a consultation," he clarified. "We're not really doing anything today, right? Just talking to a doctor, that's it. We might not even need your services at all..." Nick began to ramble as he often did when he panicked.

The secretary glanced at her computer. "That's correct. You're only hear to speak with Dr. Yang, but you're still going to have to fill out the forms. Just in case." She winked.

"Oh."

Just in case, Nick told himself. Just in case.

*~*

Nick didn't like Dr. Yang from the second he saw him. It wasn't exactly clear why he disliked the tall, sophisticated man. It could have been the fact that his job was to override nature by handcrafting human life that bothered Nick, or maybe it was just the way Miley loved him.

"Oh, Dr. Yang," she raved once their appointment started, "what you do is just so _wonderful_. The babies you've created are just the cutest little things." Miley had been flipping through a pamphlet full of the doctor's success stories. From red hair to green eyes, to blonde hair and brown eyes Dr. Yang had managed to produce babies down to details such as freckles. _Freckles!_ Miley turned to Nick. "Isn't she cute, Nick?" she asked, pointing to a dark haired infant in the booklet.

"Yeah, but she's not ours," Nick pointed out skeptically. "That baby looks nothing like either of us."

"I'm just saying," Miley practically sneered as she crossed her legs.

Nick scoffed back. "So am I."

"So, I see you're a little reluctant, Mr. Gray?" Dr. Yang surprised Nick with his sudden attention. "It's nothing out of the ordinary. Women are usually more intrigued when it comes to my work." He smiled warmly.

"With all due respect, Dr." Nick paused, biting his lip. "I have my concerns about the process. It just doesn't seem... ethical." He shrugged.

"Nick!" Miley whisper-scolded her husband. She subtly slapped him in the arm.

Dr. Yang chuckled. Miley and Nick were one of the most interesting couples he'd worked with so far. It wasn't in a bad way; the two were just different. So far they'd only fought in his presence, but Dr. Yang could tell that Nick and Miley did love each other dearly. What separated them from most other couples, was how intimidated Nick seemed around Miley. The doctor didn't think much of it though. Genetically engineered children almost always brought out the worst in couples.

With a genuine smile still on his face, Dr. Yang rested his arms on his desk. "It's perfectly natural to have doubts regarding this subject. The notion of choreographing genetics is new. Very little is known about custom-made humans, especially to people outside the field. Tell me your concerns, Mr. Gray, and I'll do my best to clear up everything I can."

Nick was both impressed and astonished by Dr. Yang's gentle, understanding personality. Most doctors in Los Angeles were stuck up and closed eared.

"I guess I'm just worried that an engineered baby wouldn't really be _ours_." Nick struggled to compose his feelings aloud. "It's unnatural. It feels dirty."

Dr. Yang nodded. "Ah, a common misconception," he said as a matter of factly. "Think about it this way: the baby is almost more of yours because you helped to design it."

"I see where your coming from," Nick pondered, trying his best to grasp the doctor's words that rang loudly in his head, "but this whole thing just creeps me out to be honest."

"It shouldn't. There's nearly no difference between a traditional pregnancy and one of a baby with planned genetics," Dr. Yang explained.

Nick raised a curious eyebrow. "Nearly?"

"I only say that because the embryo is implanted surgically rather than sexually. Other than that, Miley will go through the same experiences as any other pregnant woman."

"See, Nick," Miley nudged him in the arm certainly, "There's nothing to worry about." She grasped her partner's hand tightly for assurance.

"I see." Nick nodded at the doctor hesitantly.

"Is there anything else you're worried about?" Dr. Yang queried inquisitively.

Nick sighed. Miley eyed him cautiously. _Don't say anything stupid_, she warned him silently.

"How much is this going to cost?" Nick finally asked after a few long moments of silence. "Because I know it's not going to be cheap." He rolled his eyes.

Miley's face brightened at the sound of the question. "So, you're really considering it, Nick? Are we really going to do this?" she asked excitedly.

Nick illuminated, "I never said that."

It was too late though. Miley was already convinced. She ignored Nick's comment completely. "This is so exciting!" she gushed, graciously planting a tender kiss on her husband's cheek. "I can't believe it. This is a dream come true."

Dr. Yang snickered at Miley's enthusiasm before responding to Nick. "Pricing is constantly fluctuating up and down, you see, because you pay for each physical trait according to its accuracy rate. Hold on a minute and I'll show you." It was then that Dr. Yang pressed a few buttons on his computer, brought up a document, and turned the screen so it was visible to the Grays.

"Basically," he began to describe, "there is only a certain chance that you will get the traits requested. For example we offer gender selection. As you can see here," Dr. Yang pointed somewhere on the computer screen, "when composing an embryo, we correctly control the sex of the baby 99.9% of the time; Therefore, you must pay 99.9% of the originally set price."

Nick examined the computer thoughtfully. "Okay, so let's say, theoretically of course, I want a kid with blue eyes."

"Alright," Dr. Yang agreed.

"There's only a 75% guarantee that my kid will actually have blue eyes, right?" Nick observed the file.

Dr. Yang nodded. "Yes, that's correct."

"So I only have to pay that fraction of the price?"

"Yes, sir." Dr. Yang smiled, thrilled that Nick was beginning to comprehend the art of his service.

"So how would you say prices are now compared to other times of the year?" Nick wondered with interest. "Would now be a good time to order?" His tongue stung as he said the words. 'Ordering' children was so unnerving to him.

"Well," Doctor Yang turned the computer so it faced him, "we've been having a rapid success rate lately in most areas, so right now prices are pretty high." He frowned, hoping he didn't lose his customer by revealing the news.

Nick frowned as well. Miley's eyes did a 360. All of this science bored her. All she wanted was a baby- her perfect baby, one that she had made. Nick was just so stiff. The ability to control human DNA had been around for a while now and that was something her husband would have to realize.

"But, I would say it would be in your best interest to make a decision as soon as possible," Dr. Yang advised. "Because now that rates are going up, it's going to be a while before they come back down."

Nick sighed again. There was so much pressure on him at the moment. Dr. Yang was waiting for his response, and Miley was shooting him daggers. She really wanted this baby. Nick knew that, and the last thing he wanted to do was let her down.

"So, what do you say?" the doctor finally asked. "Do you want to schedule another appointment and get the ball rolling?"

Nick didn't have the chance to open his mouth in response before Miley spoke for him. "Yes, yes we do."

*~*

"I just _love_ Dr. Yang," Miley praised the male later that night.

After a hectic, stressful day full of discussions about baby DNA, Nick and Miley were curled up in bed watching late night television. Miley still couldn't stop talking about the day's topic, and Nick was getting sick of it. Dr. Yang this, Dr. Yang that. The way Miley portrayed him, it was like the guy was God.

"I just can't get over it!" she exclaimed awefully. "It's absolutely incredible what he does. Isn't it incredible, Nick?" Miley cuddled closer to him.

"Yeah, he's cool I guess," Nick lied. In actuality, he hated the man even more upon exiting the fertility clinic than when he had first met him. After spending an hour staring at the doctor, Nick couldn't help but realize his dashing good looks and unbeatable intelligence level. It just added to the fact that Miley was captivated by him.

"Would you rather have a boy or a girl?" Miley quizzed.

"I don't know."

She tried again. "Blue eyes or brown?"

"I'm not sure."

"Green?" she asked with conviction, puzzled by Nick's lack of interest.

"No," Nick said dryly.

"Well, what do you want our baby to look like?" Miley snapped. "You're not helping at all."

Nick scowled at Miley's true accusation."I want our baby to look like it's supposed to, not like a computer made it." He turned his head away, staring out of their penthouse apartment window.

"Nick," Miley, now more sensitive, placed a finger under her husband's chin until he was facing her again, "we've already talked about this. A computer isn't going to make the baby. We are. _And_ I'm going to be pregnant just like anyone else would be." She spoke softly, feeling guilty for being so harsh just seconds earlier. She should have remembered that she was married to a sensitive man.

"I know that, but I've been thinking-" Nick was cut off.

"You're always thinking," Miley mentioned with a smile.

Nick exhaled deeply before continuing. "It's just that there's something more... beautiful about having a baby on our own. It would be more like a product of _our_ love rather than someone's sweaty hands." His wife had been on birth control since they'd been married; they'd never even given anything a chance to happen on it's own.

Miley's grin grew wider. She placed a hand on Nick's stomach. "Is that what's bothering you, Nick?" she asked flirtatiously. "Making love?"

The man's facial expression was crooked with confusion. He scratched his head. "Not exactly..." but he trailed off.

Miley began to kiss her partner's neck, trailing upward to his chin and planting one on the corner of his mouth. "Then what are you worried about?" she asked half heartedly, still kissing Nick.

"It's just that... you know..." Nick had a hard time responding while Miley was smothering him in her love kisses. The conversation was obviously over. Miley knew that.

She ran her hands up and down his body, and soon Nick couldn't even remember what they had been talking about before.

**So, I'm sick this week which is a pain because I have midterms coming up and I'm missing tons of work. I've been reading Jurassic Park and this is kind of what inspired that. Anyway, I was just wondering, would you get a designer baby? Why or why not? Answer me in the reviews. This story will probably be in 3 or 4 parts, so subscribe now. **

**Love,**

**Sinclair**


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